81 yard kill!

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4onaside

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There was a nice article in yesterday's paper about a local hunter's two 2009 West Tennessee kills complete with a picture. One was killed at 19 and one 20yards, I believe. However,he also reported that he killed one last season at 81 yards, prefacing his report that "I know everyone will think that I'm lying". I don't presume that anyone is "lying". However, what is anyone doing shooting at a turkey at that range? This feat was accomplished using hevi-shot according to his report.
 
I heard the same thing at the Great Outdoor store in Jackson earlies this year too.
 
My one and only was paced at 52 big steps, and thought it was closer than that when I shot. I was using #6 Hevi Shot and had 13 pellet holes in his cranium and neck. He went down like a safe fell on his head. I could see 81 if you held your mouth just right, but i couldn't do it. Guess I should clarify. I can see the shell performing at that range, but don't think it's realistic or ethical to even consider a shot that far.
 
If you've patterned your gun at 81 yards and it puts 15-20 pellets in the head and neck everytime, then you can brag. Otherwise you're a slob hunter IMO and have little respect for the quarry you pursue.

I'm not aware of any shotgun/ shell combos out there which will do that consistently.

Now if you've already crippled the bird on your initial shot up close, I don't have a problem with attempting a follow up shot at 81 yards, although 99% of the time you're just wasting shells.
 
One thing that needs not be forgotten is that there is a difference in "yards" and steps.

If he didn't laser range it, then he may have killed it at 81 steps, but if isn't very big, that may very well be 60-65 yards.

Otherwise, he got lucky, very lucky. It isn't that that there wasn't any pellets to hit it, it's the fact that they had enough energy left to penetrate the bone.
 
VolDoug said:
If he didn't laser range it, then he may have killed it at 81 steps, but if isn't very big, that may very well be 60-65 yards.
quote]

Good point. My 52 big steps (approx a yard) would likely be 40-45 yards after taking into account terrain, etc.
Click to expand...
 
When I got my rangefinder to take out west last fall(another needless gimmick that I had to have lol), I ranged a stop sign on my street from my porch at 88 yards. I looked at it again today after reading the article. I can't imagine shooting at a turkey with a shotgun at anything approaching that distance. Forget the state of the art gun, choke and shells. Just the vision variations and natural movement of the hunter, breathing, pulse etc. would make it highly questionable. I start to get antsy at 40 yards(the maximum that I ever tried was 35 yards).Of course, I've never wounded or missed one either.*

*I get nervous every time that I say that, because the next one that I shoot at will run off. lol
 
killed one at 63yds and would try at 70 if i had to i know a guy that killed one at 80 so i belive it can and has been done even if it was luck it could have happened
 
I don't like to call anyone a liar, but that is a heckuva long shot. I'm a rookie to turkey hunting and I am not using hevishot so I don't know. I killed my first and only bird opening day at 56 steps. All of those steps I'm sure were not a full yard a piece. And I thought that was a long shot. Can't imagine 81 yards.
 

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